LOUDON — Gnarled metal, squealing tires and billowing smoke marked Saturday's first two races on the NASCAR Sylvania 300 undercard at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Late wrecks halted the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour's F.W. Webb 100 and NASCAR K&N Pro Series East G-Oil 100, setting up the possibility of frenetic sprints to the finish in both races.

After a seven-car pileup on lap 92 produced a red flag in the F.W. Webb 100, the race restarted with three laps left, but the finish wasn't a classic. Driving the No. 52 Chevrolet, tour points leader Doug Coby won under a caution flag after another crash on the second-to-last lap sank leader Ted Christopher, who was bidding for a sixth Whelen Modified Tour victory at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

And after a 10-car tangle on lap 91 prompted a red stoppage in the G-Oil 100, K&N Pro Series rookie Kyle Larson held off hard-charging Corey LaJoie on the last five laps to take the checkered flag.

A 33-year-old driver from Milford, Conn., Coby posted his fifth Whelen Modified victory of the season and first at the Magic Mile, edging Donny Lia and Ron Silk. NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Ryan Newman, a regular competitor in Whelen Modified races at NHMS, finished fourth.

Running behind Christopher in the No. 4 Dodge, Lia attempted to pass Christopher on the inside but clipped his left rear bumper, sending the 54-year-old Plainville, Conn., veteran into the wall.

“It by no means was anywhere near intentional,” said Lia, a 31-year-old driver from Jericho, N.Y., who's won two Whelen Modified races in New Hampshire. “I was just trying to get a run and go to the bottom and got him right in the left rear corner of his bumper. ... It's racing. It happens. I feel real bad about it.”

Starting second behind pole-sitter Lia, Coby took his first lead at lap 26 and ran at or near the front of the pack for the duration. He credited an adjustment at the race's scheduled competition caution at lap 50 for his strong performance down the stretch.

“We made the perfect adjustment,” he said. “I really wasn't as good as Donny in the beginning. I was a good pusher though, and once we got out front after that lap 50 break, we were awesome.”

In the G-Oil 100, Larson beat LaJoie by seven hundredths of a second. After trailing K&N Pro Series East points leader Brett Moffitt and LaJoie for much of the race, Larson seized the lead after a restart on lap 85. Driving the No. 6 Toyota, the 20-year-old from Elk Grove, Calif., dueled the rest of the way with LaJoie, a 20-year-old Concord, N.C., driver in the No. 07 Ford.

“I let Corey get to my quarter panel there I think, and luckily he didn't have enough speed to beat me to the line,” said Larson, who posted his second K&N Pro Series East victory.

Hampstead's Andy Seuss finished 24th in the F.W. Webb 100, while Londonderry's Steve Dickey was knocked out after 30 laps and finished 30th. New Hampshire native Eddie MacDonald of Rowley, Mass., finished eighth in the G-Oil 100, while Nashua's John Salemi finished 18th.

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Mike Cullity may be reached at mcullity@unionleader.com.